By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
January 31 – Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has been forced to relinquish all his roles within the European Club Association following his decision to quit the Catalan giants. Rosell, who played a key role in promoting the interests of more than 200 clubs, is no longer taking part in any decision making at the ECA and has left a huge gap in ongoing club-versus-country negotiations with FIFA and UEFA.
Rosell was both a vice-chairman of the ECA and one of its four nominated representatives on UEFA’s Professional Football Strategy Council as well as heading its marketing working group.
The PFSC brings together the main stakeholders in European football – UEFA, clubs, professional leagues and players – to work together to find common solutions on major topical issues affecting the game.
All of Rosell’s roles will now have to be re-assigned, possibly at the ECA’s next board meeting on February 11, the first since he announced he was stepping down at Barcelona with immediate effect over the Neymar transfer investigation and the threats and allegations made against him and his family.
“An ECA board member needs to hold executive office in a club,” an ECA spokesman confirmed. “The board has a meeting on February 11 when they will address the issue.” .
Who will replace the charismatic Rosell as one of European club football’s most influential negotiators is expected to be keenly debated. Whilst his Professional Football Strategy Council role will almost certainly be re-assigned at next month’s ECA board meeting, his replacement as vice-chairman – a term due to run until September next year – may not be known until the organisation’s annual general assembly in Barcelona in early March.
AC Milan’s Umberto Gandini, another of the three ECA vice-chairmen, said Rosell would be a huge loss to the organisation. “Sandro, besides representing a very important club, has great experience on the business side of football,” he told InsideWorldFootball. “It will not be easy finding a replacement.”
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